Project Management Officer Trainee

PMO Trainee – Project Management Office

Full-time, 38 hours a week

Action is active in 15 markets, and we continue to grow. This growth also brings new opportunities within Project Management. As a PMO Trainee, you join an 18-month programme that helps you build the skills and confidence to become a confident project management professional. From our headquarters in Zwaagdijk, you learn how projects are managed and delivered across our fast-growing organisation and how we collaborate with teams across the business. You take on real tasks from day one, support project processes and tools, and contribute to meaningful project outcomes that help drive our growth. By the end of the traineeship, you have built a strong foundation in project management and take the next step in your career.

Your daily tasks

Your traineeship is structured in three phases of six months each:

Phase 1 – Foundation (Months 1–6)

You will immerse yourself in Action’s Project Management Office by getting to know its structure, methodologies, and the projects it oversees. Embedded within the Portfolio office team, you will work alongside experienced colleagues and develop a thorough understanding of how portfolio within Action is governed and delivered.

• Get to know the portfolio structure, processes and tools and standards.
• Get to know the PMO’s structure, processes, project management tools and standards.
• Work alongside experienced PMO colleague and all the project managers.
• Conduct a full review of existing PMO methodologies and identify areas for improvement.
• Update and document project management processes, templates and workflows.

Phase 2 – Skilling Up (Months 7–12)

With a solid foundation in place, you will broaden your expertise by supporting the program managers, project managers and PMO colleagues across various active projects. You will also take ownership of a structured improvement initiative within the PMO.

• Support program managers with planning, reporting, risk tracking, and stakeholder communication.
• Share knowledge and assist colleagues in applying Portfolio and PMO standards and best practices.
• Lead or contribute to a improvement project targeting measurable enhancements to PMO performance.

Phase 3 – Creating Impact (Months 13–18)

Depending on your development and interests, this phase is tailored to your next step. The options include:

• Step into a full PMO Specialist or Project coordination role within the Portfolio team.
• Explore broader business areas to discover where your skills and interests fit best.

Your team

You will become part of Action’s Portfolio team for Supply Chain & Commerce – a dynamic, international group that ensures projects across more than 13 countries are delivered on time, within scope, and in alignment with our strategic goals. The team includes specialists in portfolio management, strategic objectives settings, project governance, reporting, risk management, and continuous improvement. As a trainee, you will get to know them all.

From day one, you will have a dedicated manager and mentor to guide you. Your colleagues are eager to share their knowledge and help you grow into a confident PMO professional. Curious about your new team? Your manager, mentor, and teammates can’t wait to support you during your traineeship.

What you offer

You are curious by nature and eager to learn everything there is to know about portfolio and project management. You approach challenges in a structured, fact-based way – asking the right questions and backing up your conclusions with data. Digitally confident, you are comfortable working with project management tools and systems from the start. You take initiative, communicate clearly across different teams, and follow through on your commitments.

Your background:

• Completed HBO or WO degree, preferably in Project Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Starter level – no prior professional experience required.
• Strong digital skills and an affinity with data-driven ways of working.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with project management tools such as Microsoft Project, JIRA, Monday, or SNOW is a plus.
• Good command of English (spoken and written).

Necessary competencies:

• Curiosity and eagerness to learn – you ask questions, seek context, and want to understand the ‘why’.
• Structured and fact-based thinking – you approach problems methodically and support decisions with data.
• Digital confidence – comfortable with project management systems, tools, and data from day one.
• Clear communication – able to work effectively with IT, operations, and senior management alike.
• Proactive attitude – you take initiative and see tasks through to completion.
• You have a pragmatic way of work in a consistent pace. Your work is always correct, which means you check your own work before sharing it with others.

What we offer

From our headquarters in the Netherlands, you will have an impact across the whole of Europe. Action’s growth means you can always take steps to develop as a professional, whether that means a certain position, an interesting innovation project, or new skills. And you can do all that in a culture where we truly embrace our shared values: customer focus, teamwork, simplicity, discipline, cost-consciousness and respect.

• A competitive salary (based on a 38-hour working week).
• 24 days holiday with the option to buy five additional days (based on 38 hours per week).
• 15% staff discount on your purchases at Action.
• Collective health insurance and travel allowance (Zwaagdijk is reachable from Amsterdam by car in just 30 minutes on uncongested roads).